Author: Adrian Cook, 1974
Purpose: Bringing a new perspective as to why the New York Riots occured
Prior Knowledge: A string a riots arose in NY because of the Emancipation Proclamation, basically, people were mad because they thought they were fighting for blacks freedom.
Audience: The readers of Cook’s book “The Armies of the Streets”, 1974.
Reason: Cook felt that the reasoning for the riots was incorrect, and he was obligated to set the record straight.
The Main Idea: That the reasons for the New York Riots was not just the enrollment act of 1863, rather is was a combination of racial tensions in combination with economic hardships that forced people to the streets.
Significance: It gave a first hand account of the tensions in the 1860’s between the irish and freed blacks in New York.